Don’t be surprised if Melbourne City win it all

Melbourne City haven’t won silverware in their six years in the Hyundai A-League but that could certainly change this season.

The Cityzens narrowly missed out on the Premiership/Championship double last season as well as an FFA Cup adding insult to injury. The light blue side of Melbourne this season however look hot favourites to redeem themselves.

City look likely to make amends having booked a place in the Semi Final of the Westfield FFA Cup against cross-town rival Melbourne Victory.

The supposed smaller team in Melbourne have captured one of the biggest signings in A-League history in Tim Cahill, who remains the all-time leading goal scorer for the Socceroos and continues to shine for the green and gold.

The 36-year-old slots into the squad well, playing aside or in behind star striker Bruno Fornaroli as the Uruguayan looks to back up his goldenboot record from last season.

Championship player Bruce Kamau, who was snapped up from Adelaide United last season is keen to win two consecutive trophies with different clubs. He joins Melbourne with senior assistant coach Michael Valkanis and Ruon Tongyik.

The South American flavour could play a vital role if City are to be successful, Argentinian Nicolas Colazo is very versatile and compatriot Fernando Brandan looks agile with what they’ve both shown in the FFA Cup.

Forgotten Socceroo Neil Kilkenny had nothing but positive things to say about the A-League competition, stating the technical side was prioritised compared to his time in England and relishes the challenge of playing in Australia’s domestic competition for the first time.

Josh Rose and Manny Muscat have points to prove and pressure will mount on the full-backs this season. There will be a high level of reliance on them after the club lost a number of key defenders including Socceroo Alex Wilkinson and retired captain Patrick Kisnorbo.

But that’s not to forget Ivan Franjic who was plagued with injuries in his career and looks to bounce back early into the competition.

With the tables turning over the years City now have the chance to prove their worth after being gifted prime-time TV slots – a total of 11 home and away Friday night games this season.

Coach John van’t Schip has prepared his club with a cluster of varying formations, but states it’s all for precautions as he does not want to tinker unnecessarily.

A season which could potentially see both Melbourne clubs in the top two, which can only ignite the rivalry even more.

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Currently studying at Deakin University in Melbourne, Clem has experience writing on AFL and has worked at Preston Leader Newspapers in Victoria. He loves reporting, spectating, discussing and playing both AFL and football.